Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Nigeria and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1960 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing The Smiths to the jazz kids.
I played it at Trash.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Cabaret Voltaire. All the underground hits.
All These Immortal Souls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kool G Rap & DJ Polo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grandmaster Flash record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Loose Ends,
Ohio Players,
Black Flag,
Agitation Free,
Absolute Body Control,
Kayak,
The Monks,
Excepter,
Matthew Bourne,
Kool Moe Dee,
Pole,
Dave Gahan,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Henry Cow,
Jawbox,
Make Up,
The Music Machine,
Al Stewart,
Public Enemy,
Radio Birdman,
Aural Exciters,
The Zeros,
Rufus Thomas,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
10cc,
The Raincoats,
The Modern Lovers,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Crooked Eye,
One Last Wish,
Brick,
the Fania All-Stars,
Minor Threat,
Dorothy Ashby,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Audionom,
Ponytail,
Lou Reed,
Gabor Szabo,
Alton Ellis,
Fela Kuti,
the Germs,
Amon Düül II,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Donald Byrd,
Tom Boy,
Television Personalities,
Camouflage,
Schoolly D,
Dennis Brown,
Cal Tjader,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
JFA,
Pantaleimon,
The Gun Club,
Essential Logic,
The Smoke,
AZ,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Blossom Toes,
Marcia Griffiths,
Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.